What should I weigh minimum? [Archive] - Starting Strength Forums

August West

02-01-2010, 05:48 PM

Male
6'1"
I am up from 175 to 195 with 4 weeks of GOMAD.

Numbers don't tell the whole story, but I'm the same height and am finding it comfortable at 235. Started linear progression at 205 and, like you, put on the first 20 lbs in about a month with GOMAD. I no longer force-feed myself or push the whole gallon of milk every day, but going back to that is the first thing I'll do if lifts stall anytime soon. You know your own body better than anyone else, but my own approach is to go hard at the linear gains and get as big as necessary to make them continue. I wouldn't worry about setting a limit point ahead of time. If you're used to walking around at 175, the weight gain is unlikely to get out of control - in my experience, every pound gained has required hard work and eating to discomfort, so the minute I stopped doing that (the serious eating, that is, not the hard work) the weight just naturally hit a plateau. Whatever you do, good luck getting the most of it.

banthafodder

02-01-2010, 05:59 PM

I'm a hair under 5'9" and weigh 208. I figure I want to get to about 230, minimum, before I finish my linear progression. At some point, I'll want to lean out, since I don't want to be this puffy for longer than I need to, but I figure that giving it a straight shot to some heavy weight, then trimming down, will be much better long term than gaining 20 lbs, losing 10, etc. over and over.

So, personally, I'd guess that stopping at 210 would be selling yourself short.

IWillLiveFreeOrDie

02-01-2010, 06:04 PM

I'm 5'9 and I want to see what a hard 225 pounds looks like. I'm 190 now so I still have a ways to go. :D

David Goldenberg

02-01-2010, 06:29 PM

Thanks for all the comments guys.

I must say that I am VERY impressed with what the milk can do. Skin-fold tests tell me that I have gained at most 1% BF (at 14%, but really dont care as long as I am under 20%). Just goes to show that if you work hard and eat a lot, that food will do well.

For those of you who did this (GOMAD), how did your waist numbers change?

Good thing all of my nice dress pants have elastic waistbands! haha

August West

02-01-2010, 07:38 PM

For those of you who did this (GOMAD), how did your waist numbers change?

I used to wear a 36 on most pants when I was at 205. Now that I've gained 30 lbs I'm a lot more comfortable in a 38 waist. Got a suit that I'll need to get let out in the waist and shoulders. Also finding that XXL is a much roomier t-shirt fit, all of a sudden the XLs don't hang as loosely as they used to.

Gary Gibson

02-02-2010, 12:40 AM

6'1"?

About 220 to look like you lift weights instead of jog. 260+ if you want to be competitively strong.

I'm training in an actual powerlifting gym for the first time in my life. I stand a hair under 5'10" and have put on ~20 lbs in the last month to get up to ~185. I'm just now starting to look normal, but I still don't look especially strong.

There's one nationally ranked lifter who's a couple inches shorter than I and who outweighs me by about 10-20 lbs. He looks very strong, but not humongous. Another very strong guy there who rarely competes is a shade taller than I and looks strong at 220 lbs. He tells me he's gotten up to 260 before. Again, at around 5'11" he looks very, very solid at around 220, but not especially huge.

For years I resisted the notion that I should weigh anything around 200 lbs. Thought that 5'10" and 150 was perfectly good and "wiry strong." Now I have a minimum target of 200 lbs.

Alyion

02-02-2010, 02:02 AM

I'm 6'2 and 215~ and am looking to hit 220 and maintain for the time being because i'm honestly sick of all the eating, but I couldnt imagine myslef weighing less than 200, and I wear a starting-to-get-tight 34 jean

IlPrincipeBrutto

02-02-2010, 05:28 AM

Hi,

I'm 6' and 194 pounds, I was 167 when I started SS.
Much as I would like to get over 200, I've decided to try and stay with this weight for a while. I've already had all my trousers let out once, and had to buy new casual trousers too. I ride a bike, but both my old leather suit and Gore-Tex combo don't fit any more.
I know I could gain more weight, but I just can't afford it, right now.

IPB

Dastardly

02-02-2010, 06:14 AM

I'm a hair under 5'9" and weigh 208. I figure I want to get to about 230,

Have you got a picture/form check video?

Im interested to know what 208 looks like.

I am 5'8" and ive been struggling to put on weight since I got to 155lb. I havent done GOMAD yet but am seriously tempted if it will make me grow big.

August West

02-02-2010, 08:11 AM

. I havent done GOMAD yet but am seriously tempted if it will make me grow big.

It will. It's an extra 120+ grams of protein every day, plus all that good (for a skinny guy) fat and calories. I dare you not to grow on that.

kittenSmash

02-02-2010, 08:20 AM

250 minimum at your height. I'm right under 5'11" and I went from 205 to 237. My waist has gone from loose 34 jeans, to tight 34s or loose 36s now, so not bad. I know I personally plan to make a push up towards 250 this year probably.

Dastardly

02-02-2010, 08:40 AM

I just dug out a picture of me, thought I may aswell share. Please excuse bulges, sports underwear leaves little to the imagination:

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w55/noseley/dastardlysquatthighs.png

This is me, 155lb @ 5' 8" my BW and squat has both been stuck. I currently lift 85kg for 3x5

I often feel that I "look" like I should be lifting a lot more. I see freakishly skinny dudes squatting much much more than me. Everyone has a much better benc & press than me but I can easily attribute that to my naturally small shoulders & thin arms. My legs however look huge compared to other people squatting twice as much as me from just broscience bodybuilding type programming.

IWillLiveFreeOrDie

02-02-2010, 08:59 AM

Dastardly, you owe us all a beer for picture! :D

You are 155 pounds, and way too skinny. Your legs look like they have some size, but you have a very small upper body. How do you expect your back to support 300-400 pounds?

I'm 5'9 and used to weigh 148 pounds. I had a 29 inch waste, and wasn't much thinner than you. Get up to 190 and you'll see your squat move up as well, and you won't be fat.

hatmanii

02-02-2010, 01:04 PM

I'm 6' 1-2ish" and I weigh 290 and look like a big guy. I plan on going on a 50lb cut so I can lift in the 242's in the fall. Then, it's bulk time back up to the 275's.

Guido

02-02-2010, 01:09 PM

At 6'1 I think you should realistically weigh 230-240 at a minimum to even look like you lift weights. Honestly you'd need to be more like 260 to really be "big".

I'm currently at about 5'9 and 212 at a respectable bodyfat % (coming from a very skinny 140lbs at one time). I have no gut and nobody would call me fat. So at 6'1 you should certainly weigh 20-30lbs more than me, at least.

David Goldenberg

02-02-2010, 02:25 PM

been to NFL.com checking a lot of running backs height vs body weight

I did not see a guy above 6' that was under 210lbs, so I guess I will aim for that 230ish that would guys have been harping, and will probably drop back to 220 once I quit stuffing my mouth.

Sgsolberg

02-02-2010, 02:36 PM

Try checking out linebackers... 6-0 and 6-1, they all sit around 230-250lbs. These guys have to be able to move rapidly, jump high, and lay out the hits.

Koalala

02-02-2010, 02:46 PM

Dastardly

02-02-2010, 03:07 PM

I am 195cm 96kg.

Although my lowerbody lifts are doing fine 5x 130kg deadlift
3x5 110kg squat

I am terrible at chin ups/pull ups.
This hole in upperbody strength is unacceptable.
Now doing the advanced novice programm which includes chins and pull ups twice a week while trying to maintain weight.
Was thinking about throwing some metcon in aswell to speed up the progress.
Losing weight is not really the point since less than 95kg on my height looks pretty skinny.

Wondering if this approach is more effective than bulking up in order to increase strength/weight ratio and my chin up/pull up weakness.

For strength, less is more.

I learnt this the hard way by doing stronglifts for the whole of last year with copious efforts to gain in both pull ups & dips in addition to the main lifts.

I would perhaps even suggest sticking to the basic novice programme for much longer. Your lifts are not big for your size, you have a long ways to go on the basic progression. It is best to focus on less at a time.

If I was you, I would focus on getting my squat to 150kg and my deadlift to 200kg before adding other exercises.

And when you do start to work on pull ups as a goal, keep it simple. If you can do 5 reps to failure, just do as many sets across with 1-3 reps per set. This method is excellent for building pull up rep max.

banthafodder

02-02-2010, 04:43 PM

Have you got a picture/form check video?

Im interested to know what 208 looks like.

I'm currently puffier than I want to be, but as long as my lifts keep going up, I'm willing to live with it for the time being. Here are some pics I took just now with my phone.

http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/bantha-fodder/Weight%20check%20at%20208/1.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/bantha-fodder/Weight%20check%20at%20208/2.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/bantha-fodder/Weight%20check%20at%20208/3.jpg
http://i992.photobucket.com/albums/af43/bantha-fodder/Weight%20check%20at%20208/4.jpg

Not sure what's going on with my shorts in the #3 pic, heh.

Overall, it's not a particularly impressive physique, but it's certainly much improved from my skinny fat days. I've always had a pretty wide trunk and spindly arms, and I carry the vast majority of my bodyfat as a spare tire and on my butt. My thighs are about 25" around, but it's hard to tell when the pictures are overwhelmed by my gut :-)

So again, 5' 8.5", 208 lbs. Current lifts are SQ 315, BP 215, DL 345, OHP 131, PC 175, all for reps. Not doing the full GOMAD, but only because I sit at a computer all day every day; I'm gaining weight at a satisfactory rate on 1/3 to 1/2 GOMAD.

Dastardly

02-02-2010, 04:53 PM

Thanks for putting the pics up. It looks like you have a heavier frame than me, (thick wrists etc) it is going to be a lot more effort for me to attain that kind of bodyweight.

My thighs are about the same size as yours already, but everything else is puny.

I do not have bodybuilding/physique goals. It is just that my body clearly correlates with my lift ratios. I cannot press or bench much at all.

It took me a whole year of training to bench one plate each side. (60kg) still am a few weeks off doing that for 3x5. My press is half that and has been stalled for several months.

If my arms & shoulders were bigger, they would move more weight surely. This is what I need.

coreJack

02-02-2010, 06:03 PM

I've already had all my trousers let out once, and had to buy new casual trousers too. I ride a bike, but both my old leather suit and Gore-Tex combo don't fit any more.
I know I could gain more weight, but I just can't afford it, right now.
LOL, Rip should include a warning at the beginning of SS:BBT about this.

This is me, 155lb @ 5' 8" my BW and squat has both been stuck.
I'm 5'7", 149lbs, and you look much bigger than me. Especially your legs. Must be my bellyfat. But I'd have guessed that you weigh 170.

Sal Webber

02-02-2010, 06:53 PM

Interesting thread...but please no more fucking underwear pictures. Jesus people. Unless you're a woman of course.

I'm 6'0" 228 on my way to 240.

banthafodder

02-02-2010, 07:19 PM

Thanks for putting the pics up. It looks like you have a heavier frame than me, (thick wrists etc) it is going to be a lot more effort for me to attain that kind of bodyweight.

I don't know. Maybe. All through high school, I weighed no more than 145. During college, it was 160. When I got married five years ago, 170. I was always pretty skinny, but slowly put on bodyfat as I progressed through adulthood, without getting particularly stronger. When I started SS, I weighed 183 and carried around more fat (in absolute terms) than I do now.

In fact, I was thinking: I have few regrets in life, but one of the bigger ones is not discovering SS until I was 30.

Interesting thread...but please no more fucking underwear pictures. Jesus people. Unless you're a woman of course.

Whatever, dude, it's For Science. ;) And technically, mine are basketball "dazzle shorts." Because of SS, they're tight enough that I never wear them anymore; when I was skinnier, I'd go running in them. I don't even know why I haven't thrown them away yet. I'm never going to be that small again, and lord knows I don't keep them for the name!

David Goldenberg

02-02-2010, 07:33 PM

here is my difference

http://img191.imageshack.us/img191/5171/beforeafter1month.jpg

Koalala

02-03-2010, 12:49 AM

For strength, less is more.

I learnt this the hard way by doing stronglifts for the whole of last year with copious efforts to gain in both pull ups & dips in addition to the main lifts.

I would perhaps even suggest sticking to the basic novice programme for much longer. Your lifts are not big for your size, you have a long ways to go on the basic progression. It is best to focus on less at a time.

If I was you, I would focus on getting my squat to 150kg and my deadlift to 200kg before adding other exercises.

And when you do start to work on pull ups as a goal, keep it simple. If you can do 5 reps to failure, just do as many sets across with 1-3 reps per set. This method is excellent for building pull up rep max.

If I do the basic programm In the end i am usually pretty tired and my chins suck even harder.
But you suggest leaving them out for a while?
I like the idea but not training areas in which I suck makes me feel like a pussy :P

william jackson

02-03-2010, 01:24 AM

at a minimum, you should weigh.... more.

Dastardly

02-03-2010, 06:07 AM

If I do the basic programm In the end i am usually pretty tired and my chins suck even harder.
But you suggest leaving them out for a while?
I like the idea but not training areas in which I suck makes me feel like a pussy :P

Indeed that is what I am saying. Do the basic novice SS protocol.

Squat, Press, Clean

Squat, Bench, Deadlift

Just focus on adding weight to these 5 lifts and importantly to your body, and you WILL be a lot stronger. Do not waste physical or mental energy with the pull ups yet. They are just an accessory exercise for helping with you main lifts.

If you have had an very easy workout, perhaps if it is the day before your 2 day rest. Throw accessory exercises in at the end.

But really, I would not incorporate them into your regular programming before you have made good progress in the main lifts and feel the additional variety will actually help progression.

I like the the standards Gary gibson mentioned:

1.5xBW squat (reasonably strong, basic target for anyone training the squat)

2xBW squat (decent standard for athletes sports like american football/rugby)

3xBW squat (goal for anyone engaged in barbell sports)

Obviously pull ups are more closeley related to the bench press, but it helps to visualise what is actually important. Also, if you listen to what justin lascek said about the extent of how much you can achieve with the basic programming, yoou will realise its better not to fuck with things too much.

The big lifts & food is important. Nothing else.